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DISCOVERING RENO AND THE ATLANTISby Norman Mark
Reno is not Las
Vegas lite. It is, in fact, nicer,
gentler, and better than Las Vegas, possibly because there is much more to do
than gamble in Reno. Reno offers 28 premier golf
courses, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing around beautiful nearby Lake
Tahoe, hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, boating and bowling at America’s
largest bowling center. We got those favorable impressions after a stay at the
1,000-room Atlantis, a family run spa and casino resort on the edge of Reno that is about as welcoming and
friendly as any hotel can be. From
the first moment of our arrival, when our luggage and car were attended to
promptly and with efficiency, to the last second as we checked out, we
encountered only nice employees anxious to make sure that our stay was perfect. It is not easy to get everyone on any staff to be friendly
and attentive at all times, but somehow the Atlantis does that.
The tower had Concierge Lounge, which welcomed us with
fruit, snacks, free drinks and delicious pigs in a blanket. The Atlantis promotional material stated
that “sherry, tea sandwiches and pastries”
are available in the Concierge Lounge in the afternoons, but I did not see them
and would probably have passed on the sherry even if I had known it was
available. The Concierge Lounge also boasted of a permanent Internet connection, but neither the
friendly concierge assistants nor I could figure out how to access my email
accounts. While we stood there
attempting to puzzle out the Internet, a callow 14-year-old boy asked if he
could try. He sat down and got into
his email account in about 4.5 seconds. After answering his email, he signed off and left without ever telling
the rest of us how he did it. Either
he was never a Boy Scout or they do not give out merit badges for helping
others across the Internet divide. Our visit to the Concierge
Lounge gave us a chance to meet the other newcomers to the hotel, including
Chris and Laura Murphy. He’s a
personable, handsome anchorman in Reno who is so good at his job that I’m sure
we’ll soon be seeing him in a Top Twenty market. She works for AT&T and was able to shed some light on a
continuing puzzle—why cell phones only seem to work when you don’t absolutely,
positively need them. That night we met Chris and Laura for dinner in the Atlantis
Seafood Steakhouse, where the décor attempted
to indicate that we were eating in an underwater grotto. It seemed nice enough until I realized that
a group at another table was eating directly under the model of a shark. The waiter, who was charming, friendly and
informative, suggested the caramelized sea bass. Although I was doubtful that a sweet coating would add much to a
fish, the sea bass was delicious, melt in your mouth delicate and so fresh it
tasted like it was caught only minutes before. It was a memorable meal and the restaurant is well worth a visit, although the
check for the four of us was about $210, meaning that the Atlantis Seafood
Steakhouse is not for the budget minded or those whose high-flying internet
stocks have just deep sixed (to continue the sea and Atlantis motif). The next day, after rolls, fruit and coffee in the Concierge
Lounge, which was stocked with many newspapers; we went to the spa, which has
indoor and outdoor pools and Jacuzzis,
saunas and a large, inviting fitness area with Cybex strength training equipment,
fine cardiovascular equipment and tons of free weights. I loved it. After an hour on a stationary bicycle, I got a massage that
eased every muscle in my body. Then,
after 45 more minutes on the bicycle, I moved to the weights, working with the free weights and the strength training
equipment, setting everything to my requirements, doing one circuit of all the
equipment, raising the weights and doing another circuit. Then another hour on the bike, followed by
a plunge into the indoor hot tub, while snacking on available fruit.
That night we
visited the 4,000-bottle wine cellar in the MonteVigna Restaurant. It was actually a beautiful room on the same
floor as the restaurant. The wine
“cellar” had wooden shelves for the bottles and a ceiling painted to look like
the sky in daytime. The MonteVigna
Ristorante features food inspired by the Tuscany region. My tonno alla mostarda (grilled Ahi tuna
topped with garlic honey mustard sauce) was excellent, although it was also too
much of a good thing—the serving was so large that I could not finish it. Entrees run from $10.95 for angel hair
pasta to $27.95 for wood-grilled rack of lamb crusted with garlic breadcrumbs
and fresh mint. The next day we
traveled uphill for about a half hour to Virginia City, where Piper’s Opera
House was in the midst of a restoration. It was once a glorious playhouse which attracted great talents since
1885. Piper’s is in good enough shape
so that a full list of events are scheduled for it, including salsa music and
dance, Dixieland jazz, a Shakespeare festival, a Fireman’s Muster Dance, and an
appearance on December 16 of Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain, who worked for a
Virginia City newspaper before achieving fame as a story teller. If you go to Virginia City, by all means take
the tram ride, which is reasonably priced and tells you everything you need to
know in about 20 minutes. You pass
near the Spite Houses, two homes built inches apart because one neighbor hated
the other so much. You’ll hear how
gold and silver from Virginia City financed the Civil War, how silver was used
to pave streets until someone figured out what it was and how one local
resident bought an abandoned mine so he could offer mine tours only to later
learn that the minerals remaining in the mine were worth billions of dollars! We had lunch at
the Gold Hill Hotel, a mile south of Virginia City. The hotel, which was established in 1899, had no gambling
devices but charm to spare with large rooms with period furniture. The room rates went from $45 to $140.
As we left after
a delicious brunch, I happened to ask if there were any ghosts in the
hotel. The spirited discussion among
the staff that followed revealed that there were two, a ghostly man who smoked
and a woman who just appeared here and there. Neither much bothered the clientele, unless one is disturbed by the
tobacco aroma left behind by the male ghost.
Norman Mark, the former movie critic and entertainment
reporter for NBC Chicago, is now
living in San Francisco. For information
about the Atlantis, its web site is at: http://www.AtlantisCasino.com For information
about the Atlantis, Piper’s Opera House, the Gold Hill Hotel and cruising by yacht
go to Malone Event Marketing at http://www.mempr.com. |
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TM
Our rooms were on the 21st floor of a 27-story luxury tower, which
opened in March, 1999. Our rooms were
large, with a sitting area adjoining the bedroom and showers which satisfied my
vacation requirement of almost instantaneous hot water. The only negative note were the 21st
floor hallway rugs and flooring, which did look like the results of a designer
running amuck with unlikable patterns. 
The nap that followed ended a perfect day. 
We left the
Atlantis pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, the friendliness of
the staff and the welcoming atmosphere of the hotel. We drove out of Reno knowing that we had found the smaller
alternative to Las Vegas.